Here are four simple tips to create an efficient strength routine that makes the most of your workout minutes and gives you the best form possible.

* During strength training check in with the mirror to correct your form. Good form is crucial to building muscle, not to mention staying injury-free

* If you’ve ever taken a yoga or Pilates class, then you know just how important breathing is during movement. The same holds true when strength training. Inhale during the easiest part of the exercise and exhale during the hardest part.

* Make your muscles do the work instead of letting momentum swing your weight up and down. If you are losing control of the dumbbell, slow down and regain a controlled pace, or decrease the amount of weight.

* If you’re whipping through 15 reps and not feeling anything, you aren’t working hard enough. Adjust your resistance weight so that after 12-15 reps, you clearly feel muscle fatigue.

— Life Fitness

Number to Know

24: Reported cases of whooping cough nationally are up about 24 percent so far in 2014 as compared to last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children’s Health

The number of whooping cough (pertussis) cases in California has reached epidemic proportions, the California Department of Public Health reported, with the state experiencing about 3,450 new cases so far in 2014. The organization said two-thirds of pertussis hospitalizations have been in children aged 4 months or younger, with two infant deaths reported.

Senior Health

Six out of every 10 falls happen at home, but many falls could be prevented by making simple changes in your living areas, like improving lighting. Make sure you have adequate lighting in each room, at entrances to your home, and on stairways in your home. Light switches at both the top and bottom of stairs can help. Place night lights in the bathroom, hallways, and other areas to guide you when you get up at night.

—NIHSeniorHealth.gov

New Research

Add this to the list of reasons not to keep a cell phone in pants pockets. A study released by England’s University of Exeter finds that the low-level electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones and other mobile devices lowered the ratio of living sperm by 8 percent and the ability of sperm to move by 9 percent.